tv ABC World News Sunday ABC July 25, 2010 6:00pm-6:30pm EDT
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>> i'm bill weir. tonight on "world news," exit strategy. bp's embattled chief executive tony heyward is reportedly forced out, but a huge pension will cushion his blow. anxious hours in afghanistan, where a huge search has expanded tonight after the taliban says it killed an american sailor. how did it happen? cruel summer. a rain swollen dam gives way, forcing 1,000 people to flee. while the east sweats through more dangerous heat. mistaken identity. a young woman reportedly killed in a car crash is found alive in the hospital, a week later. her family reacts tonight. and, turning the page. even super heroes might be powerless to stop this. how the digital revolution is
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threatening a childhood staple -- the comic book. good evening, everyone. the disas strous oil spill has transformed lives across the gulf. tonight, the spill reportedly has cost the chief executive of bp his job. tony hayward was the public face before the company moved him out of the spotlight after a series of public relations gaffes. a senior u.s. official tells the associated press, hayward's removal is a done deal, making him the first top bp official to lose his job since the spill. but he's not leaving empty handed. salary payments and a huge pension make for a golden pair shoot. matt gutman is in the gulf tonight. matt? >> reporter: bill, tony hayward was the public face of bp's second disaster. it's public relations failure. and while he took great pains to apologize for the oil spill, it's the other things he say that may have been his undoing.
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he may after all get his life back. it's widely expected the embattled ceo will be forced out by the company's board when it meets tomorrow. his replacement? bob dudley, the mississippian who smoothed tensions. at first, hayward emerged as earnest, but prone to gachs. >> i think the environmental impact of this disaster has been very, very modest. >> reporter: but there was one that seems to seal his fate. >> no one wants this thing over more than i do. audio i'd like my life back. >> you need to be charged with a crime! >> reporter: after testifying before congress, open mos tillty became epidemic. >> mr. hayward, you're not taking responsibility. you're kicking the can down the road and acting as if you have nothing to do with the company. >> reporter: hayward's dodging didn't help matters. >> i wasn't part of the decision-making process on this well. >> reporter: after that, he was removed from the front lines, sent back to england and promptly, spotted on his yacht.
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if forced out, he would take his salary and pension worth over $18 million. but here in the gulf, the anger lingers. >> i don't think he was the right man for the job. and, you know, i wish him well, but we need to get this oil cleaned up. >> i feel sorry for him, because his life is going to be more of less ruined. >> reporter: out over the spill site today, visibly less oil. >> we're now on the ninth day where no new oil has been released at the well site. >> bonnie was a dud, but wind and rain may have helped break up some of the oil. all of these ships back in place over the spill, work on the relief well began again today and is likely about two weeks from completion. and bill, we learned today that the spill could be over by this time next week. officials tell us they plan to go ahead with the static kill, that entails pumping mud down the well the only question remaining is whether the kill will happen first or tony hayward's ouster.
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bill? >> matt gutman from the gulf, thank you. we turn to aftghanistan now where a massive man hunt widened today for two american sailors. tonight, the taliban are claiming they know exactly where those sailors are. our nick schifrin is in kabul. >> reporter: in eastern afghanistan, u.s. troops are desperate to find two of their own. in the air, and on the ground, the u.s. searches everywhere. posters with the missing navy men's faces hang at checkpoints. this american troop is missing, it reads. reward for his return, $20,000. the search is still ongoing, said the local government spokesman. but we still don't have any clues of where they are. the taliban say they know. a spokesman claims insurgents got into a fire fight with the men and killed one of them, then took the survivor to a, quote, safe place. the u.s. says it can't confirm that. >> it is a reminder of both the dangers, as women as the care
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with which we must take in terms of executing the totality of the mission here. and we will do all we can. >> reporter: the two navy personnel left kabul down this road into logar province. it's an example of security deteriorating here. this is as far as i can go down this road. beyond me, the risk of kidnapping and an attack is high. >> release me, please. >> reporter: the only other american taliban custody is bo bergdahl. u.s. officials believe he's been taken to pakistan where the u.s. military cannot openly operate. bergda bergdahl's captivity is believe to be hell. what the navy personnel are likely going through. >> nay don't know if they're going to live or die, when this is going to go away. and the other hard part for them is they're no longer in a position where they are allowed to make decisions for themselves. >> reporter: the search continues, but every day that goes by makes a rescue less
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likely. nick schifrin, abc news, kabul. and for more on this, let's bring in our senior foreign affairs correspondent martha raddatz from washington. as you know so well, outside of central kabul, it's impossible to get a sense of false security. so what were they doing out there in the first place? >> reporter: mike mullen said today it was an unusual circumstances, and i have to say it's very unusual. you might drive around two people in kabul, but outside in kabul, but particularly in logar province, i was there this month, bill. it's a very dangerous place. they are certainly looking into why they were out there. >> let's switch to a story just breaking now. this is the cover of "the london guardian." they've gotten ahold of materials leaked by one military insider the scope of this is huge, is there anything new or damning here? >> reporter: well, i think it is absolutely massive, bill, and it will create a lot of tension.
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the national security adviser just put out a release, saying this threatens national security. there's a lot of detail in this. not really anything very new. but listen to this, pakistan's military spy service has guided the afghan insurgency. how a secret unit of special forces hunts down taliban leaders for kill or capture without trial. how the u.s. has evidence that the taliban has acquired surface to air missiles. again, not all of this is new. but the scope of this is absolutely stunning, bill. >> and i'm sure it will be plenty of reading for you going forward. martha raddatz, thank you. let's turn now to overseas news. prosecutors in germany have opened an investigation into the stampede that killed 19 people and injured 342 at a music festival yesterday. officials say the stampede occurred after police blocked one end of an access tunnel leading into the festival, while crowds continued to stream into the other end. and the u.s. and south koreans have begun a joint military exercise off the korean
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peninsula. it involved 8,000 troops, 20 ships and subs. north korea has called the drilled a provocation and threatened to retaliate, with, kwoek, nuclear deterrents. back in this country, extreme weather is once again in the headlines tonight. but this time, not just the dangerous heat in iowa, they're adding up the damages after a rain-swollen river caused a dam failure, sending watt earl surging downstream. eric horng is in broadview, illinois, tonight. >> reporter: today, the area near the dam is anything but a tranquil oasis. >> that's why we bought this place, because we had the sound of the dam. >> sleep so well at night. >> reporter: dozens of homes out here were swept off their foundations. no match for the raging torrent unleashed when the dam failed. yesterday, water gushed into the already swollen river, floyding 70 homes an businesses in the downstream community.
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>> it's simply unbelievable. this is unprecedented. >> reporter: while the dam famed is unclear, though it came on the heels of days of heavy rain in the midwest. today, broodview, illinois, was still drying out. at one point, the water on this block was as high as the top of that mailbox. it has receded, but the hard work here has only begun. >> the water was up to here. >> reporter: dolores jiminez showed us her flooded home. the walter rose so quickly here, it came out the bathtub drain. her basement is now filled with five feet of water, and like many of her neighbors, she doesn't have flood insurance. >> i've been here for 20 years. and we lost everything all of a sudden. >> reporter: for the midwest, it was rising water. for the east, rising temperatures. 11 states issued heat warnings today as several cities endured another scorcher. >> you need to get inside.
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>> reporter: in washington, a severe thunderstorm, ruining a jamboree for thousands of boy scouts. another weekend of extreme weather during this summer headed for the record books. eric horng, abc news, broadview, illinois. meanwhile, in washington, republicans and democrats fired the opening shots of what is expected to be a monumental battle. whether to let some of the tax cuts enacted under president george w. bush expire to help plug the deficit. as david kerley reports, it's a fight that previews some of the arguments we'll be hearing much more of in the fall campaign. >> reporter: believe it or not, republicans and democrats actually agree on something. both want to renew tax cuts for the middle class. but the battle lines are drawn for high earners, with the white house ready to let their tax t cuts expire. >> just letting those tax cuts that only go to 2% to 3% of americans, the i do not believe
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it would have a negative e fekts on growth. >> reporter: who are those individuals? they make more than $200,000, who might see their tax cuts disappear. back to the old rates, 3% to 5% higher. republicans are adamantly opposed. >> the safest thing for america would be to have a provision passed this fall that said no tax increase of any kind in 2011. >> reporter: some economists agree. >> high income earners make up a large part of consumer spending. when they tax rates raise now, they could pull back significantly and hurt the fragile recovery. >> reporter: this is more than just a battle over tax cuts. what you're hearing is the framing of the debate, the talking points that will dominate the campaigns for the november election, which tonight is just 100 days away. president obama this weekend, on republican plans. >> they're the same policies that led us into this recession. they won't create jobs. they will kill them. >> reporter: and the republican response, which seems to be
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enecho of recent polling. >> the american people know we can't tax and spend and bail our way back to a growing economy. >> reporter: the battle lines for an election, likely decided on who can best manage the economy. david kerley, abc news, washington. and as if democrats don't have enough challenges this fall, a house ethics panel on thursday is expected to reveal charges against one of their lions of congress, charles rangel of new york. democrats want to avoid a trial before the election, but is that even possible? let's call on our senior washington editor rick klein for his weekly political insights. hey, rick. >> reporter: hey, bill. >> what's going on behind the scenes? >> this is a nightmare for democrats. democratic leaders are doing what they can to try to get rangel to cut a deal with the committee that would stop the spectacle of a big, public trial that would have embarrassing revelations play out to have one of the most powerful members out there with public charges on ethics allegations is just
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exactly what you don't need when you run the most honest and open and ethical congress in history. >> right, nancy pelosi vowed to drain the swamp. as we were just reminded from our report from david kerley there, tax policy will seem to dominate the message and democrats can't seem to catch a break on dominating the message. >> reporter: this is a knock down fight that is going to play out in september and october, potentially, for democrats, right before the election. they're going to be in a position of trying to hold the line on some of the tax increases -- the cults that are set to expire. they want to hold the tax cuts in place for the middle class and everyone making $200,000 or less. they want it to expire for upper income earners. there's a growing number of moderate democrats who are uncomfortable with their party's position. it's going to be hard for the president to hold all the democrats in line on that. >> rick klein in our nation's capital, thank you. still ahead on "world news" this sunday, as arizona's tough new immigration law is set to kick in, immigrant families are
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leaving in droves, but, what will that cost the state's economy? a shocking medical mixup. a young woman thought to have died in a car crash is identified among the survivors. and from the colorful fan convention comic con the future of comic books. will the ipad and e-book make them relics of the past? hi, may i help you? yes, i hear progressive has lots of discounts on car insurance. can i get in on that? are you a safe driver? yes. discount! do you own a home? yes. discount! are you going to buy online? yes! discount! isn't getting discounts great? yes! there's no discount for agreeing with me. yeah, i got carried away. happens to me all the time. helping you save money -- now, that's progressive. call or click today. an everyday moment can turn romantic
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arizona's controversial new law cracking down on illegal immigrants takes affect this thursday, if it survives a court challenge. but many hispanics are already heading for the borders, and there's a heated debate over whether that will cost the state more than it saves. here eastern barbara pinto. >> reporter: the loud and bitter battle over arizona's immigration law has reached fever pitch. but this woman worried about the quiet exodus. immigrant families already leaving the state in droves. in the past few months, she's seen business and customers at her family grocery store disappear. >> they're in fear.
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they want to either go back to other states or they're just not buying at all. buying the minimum because they want to save their money so they can move maybe to another state. >> reporter: the law would make illegal immigration a state crime and would require police who have reasonable suspicion to question anyone about their status. >> it is one of a number of laws that have been passed that have the specific intention of making it unpleasant enough for illegal immigrants to be in the state that they leave. >> reporter: proponents say the exodus of undocumented workers will open up low wang jobs and save taxpayers money on schools and social services. but opponents in this state where 1 in every 3 people is latino, worry they'll pay. this apartment building owner is hurting already. >> 1070 has cost us 20% of our business and could have cost us our whole business. because losing 25% of your business in a short amount of time is business threatening. >> reporter: yet another drag on a cash-strapped state battered
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by foreclosures, threatened boycotts could cost the phoenix area alone an estimated $90 million in hotel and convention business. another expense? the flurry of legal challenges, including one by the obama administration. outside federal court in phoenix, the protests go on. inside, a judge will decide if the state crackdown is constitutional, and if it will go into affect on thursday. barbara pinto, abc news. a doctor aeconomying patient on a flight that crashed into lake michigan wrote a letter found in the doctor's bag. dear all, we love you, we lost power over the middle of lake michigan and are turning back. we are praying to god that all will be taken care of. we love you. and we'll be right back. in the middle of the night, why go one more round ? you don't need a rematch, but a rethink. with lunesta.
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the family of a young arizona woman is reeling tonight from a shocking case of mistaken identity. they were told that 19-year-old abby guerra is alive a week after she was declared dead. the college sophomore and four friends were driving back after a visit from disneyland when they had a terrible accident. while two girls were injured, abby's family was told she died at the scene. the funeral was scheduled for tomorrow, and soccer teammates from her college made plans to attend. but yesterday came the stunning news. abby is alive, and in the
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hospital. her family and friends held a car wash today to pay for funeral expenses, but now that money will be useder if her medical care. >> we're all angry at the situation. this is a week that, you know, we could have been by her side and telling her to fight and maybe it would have given her more strength. >> reporter: abby remains in very critical condition. officials had to use dental records to positively identify her. sports now, and 27-year-old alberto contador of spain won the tour de france for the third time and did it without taking a single stage of this year's race. lang armstrong finished 23rd. and the baseball hall of fame inducted its knewest hon honorees today. john foggerty honored for writing "center field," which is played at every induction ceremony. and still ahead, comic books under pressure. will this childhood staple survive in the digital age?
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there's oil out there we've got to capture. my job is to hunt it down. i'm fred lemond, and i'm in charge of bp's efforts to remove oil from these waters. bp has taken full responsibility for the cleanup and that includes keeping you informed. every morning, over 50 spotter planes and helicopters take off and search for the oil. we use satellite images, infrared and thermal photography to map and target the oil. then, the boats go to work. almost 6,000 vessels. these are thousands of local shrimp and fishing boats organized into task forces and strike teams.
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plus, specialized skimmers from around the world. we've skimmed over 27 million gallons of oil/water mixture and removed millions more with other methods. we've set out more than 8 million feet of boom to protect the shoreline. i grew up on the gulf coast and i love these waters. we can't keep all the oil from coming ashore, but i'm gonna do everything i can to stop it, and we'll be here as long as it takes to clean up the gulf. and i'm joni. we've been best friends since we were two. we've always been alike. we even both have osteoporosis. but we're active, especially when we vacation. so when i heard about reclast, the only once-a-year iv osteoporosis treatment, i called joni. my doctor said reclast helps re-strengththen our bones to help make them resistant to fracte for twelve whole months. and reclast is approved to help protect from fracture in more places: hips, spine, even other bones. (announcer) you should not take reclast if you're on zometa, have low blood calcium, kidney problems.
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or you're pregnant, plan to become pregnant or nursing. take calcium and vitamin d daily. tell your doctor if you develop severe muscle, bone or joint pain or if you have dental problems, as rarely, jaw problems have been reported. the most common side effects include flulu-like symptoms, fever, muscle or joint pain, headache, nausea, viting and diarrhea. nothing strengthens you like an old friendship. but when it comes to our bones, we both look to reclast. you've gotta ask yor doctor! once-a-year reclast. year-long protection for on-the-go women. well, this weekend, san diego played host to comic con, the world's largest celebration of comic books, but that staple is facing an uncertain future. here's stephanie sy. >> reporter: no longer a geeky gathering for comic book fans.
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today, comic con is a star-studded sold out event, and this year, behind the outrageous costumes and movie previews was a serious debate, about what will happen to the book in comic books. >> bring your comic books to life. >> reporter: the new wave of comic consumption, just like in music and books before it, is going digital. new e-book readers, smart phones and the ipad are promising to revolutionize the industry. the comic book giants see it as a positive thing. >> digital enables a whole new audience to experience comic books that haven't been able to have access to them before. >> reporter: the much buzzed about comic book app that came out with the ipad is supposed to feel like reading a full-size comic book. >> comic books look fantastic. you see how the colors pop off the screen. digital enhances the reading experience because it highlights the artist. >> reporter: companies are going a step further, creating motion comics that bring super heroes
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to life. >> iron man, command system on. >> reporter: old school enthusiasts worry digital comics are the evil nemesis to their beloved local comic bookstores. >> there's nice, almost like community in reading comics. you kind of take out the whole aspect of community into reading the comic book. >> reporter: the purists point out, you can't trade or college digital comics. >> your ipad is not going to go up in value if you download the first spider-man on it. >> reporter: but with young comic book fans having morphed into techies, digital comic books seem like a natural progression. and besides, they're unstoppable. stephanie sy, abc news, new york. >> but can you still order x-ray glasses and sea monkeys? that is "world news" for this sunday. diane sawyer is back here tomorrow night. i'm bill weir. make it a great sunday, everybody. good night.
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